Dr. Gerald Parker Brings 'Healthy' Perspective To CVM Initiative

Posted January 23, 2018

When Gerald Parker Jr. came to Texas A&M as an
undergraduate, he planned to follow in his father’s footsteps and
become a veterinarian.

Completing both his bachelor’s degree in veterinary sciences and
his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in just five years, Parker
was on the path his father had hoped for him; the next step would
be to return to San Antonio, where Parker grew up, to join the
family practice. But while serving in the Corps of
Cadets (also like his father), Parker decided, instead, to join the
military, where his trajectory would completely change, setting the
stage for a “non-traditional career” that would take him through 26
years of military service and a decade of service with the U.S.
Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Health and Human Services
(HHS), and Defense (DOD).

Within two years of joining the military, Parker’s work, and
interest, in medicine began to shift from animals to humans, which
was accentuated by opportunities to earn a doctorate in physiology
from Baylor College of Medicine and to participate in the
Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense
University. He was the only Veterinary Corps officer asked to
participate in the master’s program at the Industrial College,
which was one of the premiere senior service schools for future
military and civilian executive leaders.

“I’ve always thought every job I’ve taken was the best job I’ve
ever had, and that was the best job I ever had, at the time. I was
commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious
Diseases, and when I got notification that I was selected, I first
went, ‘Boy, I don’t want to leave this job,’” Parker said. “I
talked to my commanding general, who was named General Parker, no
relationship, and he said, ‘You’re crazy if you think you’re going
to stay in (the) command (position); you’re going to do this,
because you’re destined to do bigger things.’ So that’s what I
did.

“It was a great experience,” Parker laughed. “I was really
blessed to be selected and then to serve as student president for
my class. The overall selection rate’s really low, and the
in-residence program was hard work and competitive, but very
interesting. I don’t know how I got it, but I did.”

Through the Industrial College’s rigorous
curriculum, Parker learned about the elements of national
power— economic, political, social, and military—as well as
resourcing the U.S. national security strategy; this knowledge
ultimately would benefit his governmental work in strategic policy
and in developing his expertise in Global One Health.

When Parker retired from the military, the executive leadership
experience he had in biodefense, emerging infectious diseases,
global health security, and public health preparedness made him a
natural fit within the DHS and, eventually, with the HHS, where he
served as the principal deputy assistant secretary for preparedness
and response.

As the No. 2 person in charge, he coordinated federal public
health preparedness efforts and responses to Hurricanes Katrina
thru Alex, the 2009 H1N1 flu virus pandemic, and the Haiti
earthquake.

"It was during this time that emerging infectious diseases were
recognized as threats to our national security and global health
security became a public health focus,” Parker said.

Gerald Parker Sr. (second from the left) works on a patient as a
veterinary student at Texas A&M.

“Today, the growing threat of a pandemic is one of society’s
greatest challenges, and flu viruses have the highest pandemic
potential; this is what keeps me up at night. But the emergence of
new flu viruses are also right at the nexus of animals and humans,
where we have prevention opportunities,” Parker said.
“Veterinarians have a huge role to play, as most emerging
infectious diseases are zoonotic; if we can prevent a spillover
event from animals into humans, or detect it early, we may be able
to prevent an outbreak anywhere from becoming a pandemic.”

Efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to the threat of the new
flu viruses and other microbes are examples of how human, animal,
and environmental health converge to form Global One Health, as a
concept, to contain emerging infectious diseases at their source,
according to Parker.

The actions also tie into the niche Parker hopes to carve out
for Texas A&M as the new campus director for Global One Health
and associate dean for Global One Health at the College of
Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM).

“I believe that One Health’s time has come. One Health is a very
complicated concept that, I’d be the first to tell you, is
hard to define. I think the concept has suffered from trying to be
too many things to too many people, rather than focusing on
priority problems,” Parker said. “And it’s not just me saying that
One Health is growing in importance, especially when focused on the
fight against infectious diseases and related challenges, like
antimicrobial resistance; this has been brought up by the
biodefense Blue Ribbon Panel, the President’s Council of Advisors
for Science and Technology, and recently by the G20 nations.”

At Texas A&M, Parker also holds joint appointments at the
Bush School of Government Service and AgriLife Research. He
believes this not only reflects the multidisciplinary nature of One
Health, but will allow for greater collaboration across campus.

“Other colleges, faculty, and students want to be part of
multidisciplinary coalitions to work on hard global problems, and
if we do that, I know Texas A&M will make significant
contributions to solving some of the most pressing challenges of
our time,” Parker said.

There are many reasons why Parker decided to return his alma
mater after his final governmental position in the DOD, including
nostalgia.

“I felt there’s something I needed to give back, to help shape
the next generation of leaders. I continue to have an interesting
career from where I started as a student here; I never would’ve
imagined the things that I did,” he said. “Veterinary medicine was
a great foundation for me to build a career in national security
and public health preparedness.”

While living in College Station with his wife, Denise—his
high-school sweetheart, the mother of their three sons, a fellow
Aggie, and one of his role models—Parker also hopes to be involved
in mentoring students and raising awareness of the career
opportunities available through Global One Health.

“We need to focus on emerging infectious diseases globally and
locally, and what Texas A&M can do to be a part of the
solution,” he said. “It’s a big challenge requiring academia,
non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and
international partners working together.”